Volume One,
Number Three
- CAPE
TOWN: THE TRIALS
- SAN
FRANCISCO: APRIL 27, 1995
- COLUMBIA:
SOUTH AMERICA: GRANT ACTIVITIES
- LAURA
BARRIENTOS COLUMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA
- PROJECT
MOSAIC CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
- ST.
GABRIEL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE IN GUGULETU, SOUTH AFRICA
- CHILDREN
AND YOUTH CLUB IN KHAYELITSHA
- IKAMVA
LABANTU IN CAPE TOWN
- SULLIVAN
PRIMARY SCHOOL IN STEENBERG, WESTERN CAPE
- AMY
BIEHL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP—DERMODY PROPERTIES FOUNDATION
- LA
QUINTA, CALIFORNIA: NEW HEADQUARTERS
- SECOND
ANNIVERSARY GIVING
- WASHINGTON
DC: BENEFIT RECEPTION
As we mark the
second anniversary of Amy's death in Guguletu, Cape Town,
South Africa on August 25, 1993, we do so with a mixture of
fond memories and great hopes. As Amy's life was full and
purposeful, her Foundation is committed and busy in its efforts
to extend her legacy of human service and support of human
rights.
This anniversary
edition of the NEWSLETTER was mailed to over 1200 friends
of the Foundation to inform everyone of the Foundation's activities
and to request additional tax-deductible gifts to celebrate
Amy's life and to continue her work.
CAPE
TOWN: THE TRIALS
Thankfully, we
can report the conclusion of the Supreme Court trials of Amy's
accused murderers. A total of eight suspects were ultimately
arrested and charged. Three accused were released when a key
witness refused to testify in trial for lack of witness protection.
One youthful accused failed to appear, was re-arrested and
subsequently acquitted. Four accused were convicted of murder
and public violence and sentenced to eighteen years in prison.
We are advised
that the sentences are considered severe in a country that
has eliminated the death penalty. As of late 1995, there appears
to be no opportunity for amnesty on the contention that the
crime was politically inspired.
In a recent meeting
with prosecutor Nollie Niehaus in Cape Town, Linda and Peter
Biehl were told that no further arrests are anticipated-although
it is likely that more than eight participants were involved-and
that the case is considered closed.
We are deeply
indebted to the eyewitnesses who risked their lives and the
safety of their families to testify in the interest of justice.
Their testimony was critical to the convictions that were
achieved. We are further convinced that the courtroom appearances
of Linda, Molly and Kimberly Biehl were important as evidence
that Amy was a valuable person whose family was capable of
dignity in the face of tragedy.
In the end, South
Africa's system of justice worked. The millions of people
in the townships and squatter camps of the Cape Flats have
reclaimed their right to live with the protection of a system
of law that advocates human rights and dignity. In marked
contrast to the injustice and indignity of Apartheid, this
new social reality is cause for hope and thanksgiving. Back
to the top
SAN
FRANCISCO: APRIL 27, 1995
Set in San Francisco's
Great American Music Hall, the second annual celebratory concert
to benefit the Foundation played to a crowd of approximately
500 enthusiastic people, including many of Amy's former Stanford
classmates, Coach Rick Schavone, teacher and foundation director
Kennell Jackson, Consul Jacques Jordeen of South Africa in
Los Angeles, and honorees Danny Glover, Joe Marshall (Omega
Boy's Club) and the Bay area Southern Africa Network.
One of San Francisco's
biggest hip-hop bands-MIDNIGHT VOICES-was joined by reggae
band, LIBERATION, and by fusion band, WORLD COLOR, which introduced
an original piece- "Sometimes, there are Angels "-in
Amy's honor.
Framed official
South African election ballots were presented to the honorees.
The concert's
purposes-to gather people once each year to celebrate Amy's
birthday and South Africa's first democratic elections, to
gain exposure for the Foundation and its purposes, and to
raise money were achieved. Commemorative concert T-shirts
and posters are still available on a limited basis at $15.00
and $10.00 respectively.
Venue and date
for next year's concert will be announced as soon as possible.
The Foundation thanks the Great American Music Hall, Holiday
Inn, the bands, honorees and all who attended for making this
year's concert a great success. Back
to
the top
COLUMBIA:
SOUTH AMERICA: GRANT ACTIVITIES
We
are pleased to report on some of the initial grant activities
of the Foundation, based upon careful research, recommendation
by informed sources and feelings of the heart. Our philosophy
is to invest modestly, where our grants will produce the greatest
results for the investment, and to identify with worthy people
and programs for the long-term. We are associating with programs
and people who are building imaginatively for the future --
outside the sphere of government. Back to the top
LAURA
BARRIENTOS COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA
A scholar of
impressive credentials and a young Colombian woman with the
will and desire to make a difference in the world, Laura Barrientos
was granted money to purchase air transportation from Washington,
D.C., to Medellin, Colombia. Once there, she will attend a
vital conference to empower women to become involved in government.
Colombia is an especially violent country where women and
Afro-Colombian women-in particular-are repressed or ignored.
Laura described
her invitational participation in this conference as a "life-changing
experience" and has prepared a quality report analyzing
pertinent issues and challenges which is now a part of Foundation
archives.
Following graduate
studies at University of Texas at Austin, Laura plans to return
to Columbia to honor her commitment to assist rural Afro-Colombian
women in gaining recognition for themselves and empowering
themselves to participate in the liberalization of their nation's
democratic government.
Citing Amy's
commitment to the black women of South Africa, Laura will
fulfill her promise to return to the villages of Columbia
and to be a resource to the
Foundation for
many years to come.
In this
case, a small grant to a young person of purpose and ability
will pay important dividends for the long-term future. Back to the top
PROJECT
MOSAIC CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
It has been estimated
that South Africa's townships and squatter camps require more
than 18,000 social workers and counselors to come to terms
with the needs of battered and abused women and children and
the dysfunctional families which surround them. To produce
this many university-trained professionals in time to impact
current needs is an impossible dream.
To train and
prepare qualified para-professional counselors, experienced
in the townships and camps, with a desire to help is a hope.
MOSAIC-a promising
new self-help
program associated with IKAMVA LABANTU-is dealing directly
with the need and represents a hope.
Twelve carefully-selected
women from numerous townships and squatter camps in the Cape
Flats have embarked—on July 17--on a ten-month classroom
and field training program which will culminate in certified
para-professional counselors, committed to service in their
communities. For many of these twelve women (most of whom
have been abused) the MOSAIC program represents fulfillment
of dreams to be of real service to women and children and
households in their townships and camps.
Having spent
several hours with this pioneer class of women, we have great
hope and belief in them and in the impact potential of MOSAIC.
The ladies ("mamas") have become our new friends
and are proud that Amy's Foundation is an investor in their
future.
We are
confident that they will make important differences in their
communities quickly and over the long-term, and we are proud
to help support them in their challenging efforts.
Back to the top
ST.
GABRIEL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE IN GUGULETU, SOUTH AFRICA
Frequently, the
barriers to education for young people in the Western Cape
townships are simple to the outsider, but seemingly-overwhelming
in the eyes of the young.
Bus or train
fare to travel to school and home again: without money, even
a few Rand seem a fortune. Standing in the rain and cold,
waiting endlessly for transportation: without a raincoat or
an umbrella, the experience can be miserable. Seeking the
courage to go to school and to dream about a fulfilling future:
without encouragement and tutorial help can be a lonely undertaking.
The programs
of ST. GABRIEL'S COMMUNITY CENTRE break down these simple--but
daunting--barriers to education every day. The young pupils
of Guguletu and surrounding areas have a place where they
can turn for practical, but needed support. The COMMUNITY
CENTRE'S coaching and tutoring programs, the dispensing of
bus and train fares, raincoats and umbrellas, money for the
purchase of books-are all done with quiet dignity, to help
those who would help themselves.
Our grant,
through Rev. Basil Van Rensburg, will help sustain this worthwhile
program. Back
to the top
CHILDREN
AND YOUTH CLUB IN KHAYELITSHA
Only 35 km from
Cape Town, close to one million people live in a black squatter
camp off the N2 near Mitchell's Plain. Most of the population
lives in squatter shacks built of corrugated iron, wood and
plastic. Only some sites have running water and sanitation.
Other than at the hospital and schools, electricity is almost
non-existent. Infant and child mortality is very high.
Hope for change
is with the children and the youth of Khayelitsha. The needs
of a growing number of these young black South Africans are
being addressed by the youth programs of Laura Haas, on behalf
of the Church of England in South Africa. Laura shows tremendous
enthusiasm and commitment in the face of overwhelming challenge.
The club
and centre for children and young people being developed by
Laura Haas is providing focus and hope where little has existed.
Our grant will help to further this effort by Laura and her
volunteers to help Khayelitsha's young to help themselves.
Back to the top
IKAMVA
LABANTU IN CAPE TOWN
Under the insightful
guidance of Helen Lieberman, this umbrella organization facilitates
and coordinates over 30 self-help programs addressing the
many needs of the Western Cape's underprivileged people, from
cradle to grave. The offices of IKAMVA LABANTU in Cape Town
are a blur of people, a ringing of telephones, a host of meetings,
a blind receptionist--everyone busy with the business of uplifting
themselves and others to meet the multiple needs of their
communities.
IKAMVA LABANTU
helps people make things happen, but has the wisdom to insist
that the people involved in each self-help program be responsible
for management of their program and accountable for their
resources and assets. More than 100 pre-schools exist today
in Cape Flats townships and squatter camps as a result of
the guidance of IKAMVA LABANTU, as do vital programs that
address a broad range of social and human need for children
and the aged, men and women, healthy and abused.
Our
grant will support some of the youth programs guided by IKAMVA
LABANTU and we are confident that Helen Lieberman will make
wise use of it. We look forward to a long association with
this outstanding organization. Back to the top
SULLIVAN
PRIMARY SCHOOL IN STEENBERG, WESTERN CAPE
Most disadvantaged
black or coloured school children grow up in virtual isolation
from advantaged life in the Cape Region and--certainly--from
other regions of their country. There is little chance, under
normal circumstances, that a coloured child at Sullivan Primary
School would ever see a diamond mine at Kimberley or the port
of Durban or would travel anywhere in South Africa beyond
his or her own neighborhood. Yet exposure to new places and
experiences is at the very heart of education, as a process.
This September
of 1995, 50 Sullivan Primary children will tour South Africa
in a unique educational experience designed to open eyes and
challenge minds and imaginations as never before. Each student
and his or her parents have contributed 40 Rand each month
for ten months to help finance this tour. This represents
true sacrifice and commitment. Teachers have pledged to raise
the balance of funds-a task that has been difficult and disheartening.
One of Amy's
closest colleagues and mentors-Randi Erentzen-made us aware
of this breakthrough project and we are proud to have made
a grant at a time when spirits needed a lift-and on the second
anniversary of Amy's death.
We are very excited
about these most recent self-help grants from the Foundation
and about the opportunities for long-term relationships with
the organizations involved. Each organization is a testament
to what can be accomplished for disadvantaged people outside
the realm of government programming. All grants were made
following the recent visit by Linda and Peter Biehl to the
Cape Region, during which time most of the programs and organizations
were identified and researched.
In a related
arena, several scholarship programs in Amy's name are providing
opportunities for young people of promise in communities closer
to home. We shall attempt to report on them from time to time. Back to the top
AMY
BIEHL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP—DERMODY PROPERTIES FOUNDATION
Established by
Dermody Properties Foundation of Reno, Nevada, the AMY BIEHL
MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP makes it possible for a deserving woman
of color to attend the University of Nevada each year. Grants
are made in association with the Nevada Women's Fund, in the
amount of $2500.00. The 1995 recipient is Lisa Lyons Bass
(29), a student at University of Nevada School of Medicine.
A single mother, Lisa plans to practice as a physician in
a community-based medical center affiliated with a medical
school. Recently, Lisa wrote to the Dermody Foundation:
"Thank you
very much for the generous gift. This gift will help tremendously.
I found Amy's story very touching and I am grateful to be
honored by receiving a gift given in remembrance of such a
courageous young woman."
We are
grateful to the Dermody Properties Foundation for this living
tribute to Amy and look forward to great things from Lisa
Lyons Bass as a physician-humanitarian.
Back to the top
LA
QUINTA, CALIFORNIA: NEW HEADQUARTERS
On July 1, 1995,
the Founation established its new headquarters in La Quinta,
California.
The Amy Biehl
Foundation
P.O. Box 14
La Quinta, CA 92253-0014
Telephone: 710-771-2044
Fax: 710-564-3008
Our move
has enabled us to organize a proper office and the materials
that will form the core of Amy Biehl's archives and research
library. Back to the top
SECOND
ANNIVERSARY GIVING
We are challenged
to continually replace funds as they are granted and to increase
the Foundation's capacity to give more.
For any friend
of the Foundation who is able to do so, we would like to encourage
gifts or ideas for fund-raising now, on the anniversary of
Amy's death.
Of course, T-shirts
and posters can always be ordered. In addition, any contributor
of $25.00 or more who designates his or her gift as second
anniversary memorial, will receive copies of Laura Barrientos'
report on the situation confronted by Afro-Colombians in their
struggle for recognition and political representation, and
the evaluation of Mosaic's first two training modules by the
township ladies in training.
In
this way, we can begin to share results of the work of the
Foundation with those who are interested in knowing more. Back to the top
WASHINGTON
DC: BENEFIT RECEPTION
We are pleased
to announce a very special event to take place in Washington,
D.C. on October 6, 1995. The Foundation will host a reception
to honor Dullah Omar, MP-South Africa's Minister of Justice,
during his brief visit to the United States to address the
convention of the National Conference of Black Lawyers.
One of South
Africa's most noted human rights lawyers, Dullah Omar was
a courageous and passionate opponent of apartheid for many
difficult years. He was among the principal drafters of South
Africa's new democratic constitution-including its Bill of
Rights-and serves as point-man for the Mandela government's
mission of reconciliation among the many peoples of South
Africa's complex society.
Dullah was one
of Amy's most-valued mentors during her ten months at the
University of the Western Cape.
He will speak
on the subject of reconciliation. The Foundation will publish
Dullah's remarks for subsequent distribution. Details will
be announced shortly. Mark your calendars.
We thank
all friends of the Foundation for their support and encouragement
and look forward to the ability to help advance Amy's unfinished
agenda of human service.
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